The Student Traveller: Travel Tips: What Technology Should You Bring Abroad

If all technology suddenly disappeared today, our whole world would come to a stop. As 21st century human beings, we cannot function without it in our lives. Most of us can't function ~~24 hours~~ an hour without looking at our phones/laptops/iPads, so when it comes to travelling for a month, how do you decide what technology you should bring?

credit to http://misszeit.tumblr.com/

This was one of the first packing dilemma's I faced when preparing for my 6 week trip to Thailand.

Oh God, should I take my laptop? Yeah, I probably should. I mean, it's not that heavy anyway. Oh go on then, I'm sure it won't be that bad!

*2 days into trip*

For GOD'S SAKE, why did I take this bloody laptop?! It takes up so much fricking room! Oh no, please don't say I have to take it out for security...

*Unpacks hand luggage yet again*

Why did I convince myself to bring it? Well, even though my brain was screaming at me not to take it, I managed to justify it to myself because... well... all because of this blog. I couldn't face the idea of travelling around South East Asia when I had just set up a brand new, sparkly travel blog. Wasn't that the whole idea of having a travel blog? Documenting your trip as you travelled? In my eyes, it was, therefore I simply could not travel without a laptop.

I have now learnt from my mistakes.

It's okay to have that view and perfectly acceptable to bring your laptop if it is small, lightweight and portable and well, basically everything that my HP Pavilion isn't.

As much as I love my HP Pavilion, it is way too bulky. Don't get me wrong it is a fantastic laptop for home and university. But for travelling? It was terrible. It was a nightmare to carry it around Thailand. I couldn't put it in and out of my bag without removing the rest of my things which was super annoying. Especially because at most airports they ask you to put your laptop into a separate container when going through security which meant I would hold up the whole queue trying to shove my enormous laptop back into my bag.

After some pretty thorough research, I have come to the conclusion that the perfect travelling laptop is an Apple Macbook. (Shocker, I know.) I know you anti-appleists, are probably screaming at the screen trying to tell me there are plenty of smaller laptops which are equally as good and much more reasonably priced. But honestly? If I'm going to splash out on a laptop, I would want to ensure that it does everything I need it to.

credit to http://thegadgetflow.com/portfolio/paris-macbook-skin/

The Apple Macbook's reputation remains untarnished for a reason. The lightweight and slimness of the laptop makes it really easy to fit in your bag without any problems at all, which for me is reason enough to get one. The added bonuses is this, you also still have the ability to edit both photos and videos with ease AND you don't have to worry about storage as it has more than enough space to store them.

But the main reason the Macbook appeals to me? iCloud. Losing your laptop is bad enough, but all your photos and memories as well?! That is what would make me break down. Everything on your laptop is automatically stored onto iCloud meaning that if your laptop does get stolen/broken/lost in the sea, you won't have lost everything.

Who knew I could talk about laptops so much?!

Now, those of you who know me personally, know that I'm a bit of a camera freak, so you probably only need one of the next two items I am going to list as my travel technology essentials. So, here we go...

A GoPro! I can't believe I went to Thailand without one and I seriously regret it. There were very few people I met travelling that didn't have a GoPro and I can see why. The camera's are tiny and with their basically invincibility plus so many add on's who wouldn't want one?! I don't think the GoPro needs much explaining as it really does sell itself. Tierney and I did so many amazing water activities which I would have loved to photograph but it was just too risky with my DSLR.

photo credit to gopro.com

Speaking of DSLR's...

I love my Nikon D40x DSLR. It's my first DSLR and basically my baby. I don't know what I would have done without it for the past couple of years. But unfortunately it has become outdated, slow and a little bit battered. I turned to my photographer friend Stefan (who I have spoken about here before) for some camera advice. After asking if I had a preference in camera (I assumed he meant make i.e Canon or Nikon), he suggested getting the mirrorless Sony RX100 iii.

At first I was skeptical.

A mirrorless camera?

You mean don't get a DSLR?!

I have thought about this for a long time. But like my HP Pavilion, DSLR's add a lot of bulk to your packing which is the last thing you want. And after some very, very, very thorough research on the difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera plus reading reviews on the RX100, I think I am convinced that this may be the perfect camera for travelling. No bulk, less expensive, live preview and you still have the quality of a DSLR, control over the shutter speed and ISO settings. I'm considering asking for it as my 21st present, so I'll let you know how I get on with it if I get it. The New York Times claims it is "the best pocket camera ever made", so I have a feeling I'll be alright with it.

credit to http://www.sony.com.au/

Finally, a portable phone charger. I guess this kind of goes without saying. I don't think I could go travelling without my iPhone and there is nothing worse than seeing that you have 9% battery when you are in desperate need of your phone. These portable chargers will be your life saver. Long flights can really drain your battery and there may be some emergency where you need to call your accommodation or a taxi or... well... you get the idea.